Velocipede crank-hanger.



Patented Jan. 23, I900.

G. L. THOMPSON;

VELOCIPEDE CRANK HANGER.

D (Application filed July 19, 1899.)

(No Model.)

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. THOMPSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VELOCIPEDE CRANK-HANGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 641,907, dated January23, 1900. Application filed July 19, 1899. Serial No. 724,355. (Nomodel.)

T0 on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. THOMPSON, of Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Velocipede Crank-Hangers, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relatesto improvements in velocipede-fittings, and refersmore specifically to an improved crank hanger or bracket.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide a hanger of thecharacter described which, while, in fact, circumferentially continuousthroughout its principal portions,

nevertheless possesses most, if not all, of the advantages belonging toa split hanger, to provide a construction which is both exceedinglyeconomical to manufacture and of a form especially suitable for singlepiece crank-axles, and in general to improve and simplify the details ofconstruction of the device.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims, and will be morereadily understood from the following description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of ahanger embodying my invention, a portion of the lower side thereof beingshown in vertical axial section. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same,a part being shown in transverse vertical sec tion,taken on a lineextending axially through the frame-lugs. Fig. 3 is a longitudinalsectional view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan viewof the bracket.

Referrihgto said drawings, A designates, as a whole, the barrel or mainbody of the hanger, which is of generally cylindric form throughout itsprincipal portion, but is provided at its lower side with an extensionA, formed integrally therewith and of such crosssectional form as toprovide room for the passage of the outer angle or elbow of a crankaxleformed at the union of the crank-shaft with the crank-arm thereof whenassembling the shaft within the hanger by passing one of its armstherethroughthat is to say, said extension A desirably has approximatelystraight parallel side portions a and an outwardly convex or roundedlower portion a uniting the sides, thus forming a troughshaped recess orextension extending the full length of the hanger.

A crankbracket having the above described form may obviously beconstructed by casting, by forging, by forming it from a suitablesection oftubing, or otherwise; but in the preferred constructionillustrated herein the main body of the hanger is formed up from a flatblank of sheet metal and the meeting edges united by electric welding,the seam or line of union being desirably, and as shown in the presentinstance, arranged to come at the bottom of the extension A, asindicated in the drawings by the stippled line a In the preferred methodof constructing a hanger as shown herein the several framelugs 01, a anda are first drawn out or struck up from a blank of approximately oblongrectangular form and the latter partially formed into cylindric shape,the lower side being left partly open for a purpose which willhereinafter appear. In the preferred embodiment shown the severalframelugs are made short and constitute nipple lugs or sockets, nippleor frame lugs proper, B, C, and D, formed of separate thilnbleshapedpieces, being inserted and secured within. said lugs and arranged toprotrude therefrom a suitable distance to receive the frame members. Theouter ends of the several lugs form shoulders ar against which the endsof the frame members severally abut to form a flush joint, and to thisend they are preferably cut off or have their ends formed at rightangles to their several axes. The several thimbles forming the nipplesare each provided at their inner ends with outturned flanges b, whichare conformed to and rest against the inner cylindric surface of thebarrel of the hanger, being usually secured within the lugs by brazing.

For the more convenient assembling of the parts the several nipples willordinarily be forced into places within their respective lugs while thehanger-blank is partly open, as above mentioned, so that the severaldies employed for forcing the nipples into position may work through theopen side of the hanger. After the nipples have been thus seated inposition the end portions of the blank are brought together at the lowerside and electrically welded, as hereinbefore' referred to.

In order that the end portions of the hanger barrel may be contractedslightly, so as to lock the bearing-cups F in adjusted position,

slots a are provided in the lower side of the extension, extendinglongitudinally inward from each end thereof a distance sufficient toallow the opposite sides of the hanger ends to be drawn together. Inorder to thus contract the ends of the hanger, bolts E are insertedthrough the extension A at points adjacent to each end thereof and insuch position as to avoid interference with the bearing-cups seated inthe ends of the hanger. Obviously when the welded seam is located ashereinshown these slots a may be formed in the blank by means ofsuitable offsets in the end margins of the blank or they may be formedby simply sawing in from each end of the hanger after the latter hasbeen welded.

The bearing-cups Fin the ends of the hanger may be either threadedtherein (screw-threads a being shown for the reception of the cups Finthe present instance) or they may be simply seated therein withoutscrew-threads and held clamped in position by the clamping-bolts E. Thecups will ordinarily form the end closures of the cylindric portion ofthe crank-hanger; but in order to close the ends of the extensionportion A, I preferably provide plates G, each suitably hollowed out atits upper edge, as indicated at g, to conform to the periphery of thebearing-cup I and having its remaining margins conformed to the externalcross-sectional form of the extension. In order that the said plates Gmay lie flush with the ends of the hanger, the ends of the extensionportion thereof are recessed or cut back an amount equal to thethickness of the plates G, as indicated at g, the shoulders 9 formed atthe points where the upper edges of the plates abut against the hanger,being formed on a line approximately parallel with the direction ofmovement of the sides of the extension when drawn together by theclamping-bolts E. In order to hold the plates in position, they are eachprovided at each side with cars 9 arranged to extend inwardly and restagainst the inner sides a of the extension and provided withbolt-apertures g for engagement with the clamping-bolts, so that whenthe latter are in position the end plates areheld immovably upon theends of the hanger in position to completely close the ends of theextension and at the same time in such manner as not to interfere withthe expansion or contraction of the hanger end.

It will be seen from the foregoing that a hanger embodying my inventionis of simple and cheap construction, that it is especially well adaptedfor single piece crank-axles and enables the latter to be adjusted toplace within the hanger, although the latter be of relatively smalldiameter, and that it possesses the advantage of enabling thebearingcups to be locked in the same manner as in a split hanger withoutpossessing the objectionable features of the latter. As beforeintimated, these advantages are obtained by the construction described,whether formed up from a sheet-metal blank or made otherwise.

I claim as my invention- 1. A velocipede crank-hanger comprising a metalbarrel of generally cylindric form, provided at one of its cylindricsides with an integral radially-extending extension forming anenlargement of its interior extending longitudinally thereof, as and forthe purposes set forth.

2. A velocipede crank-hanger comprising a metal barrel of generallycylindric form in cross-section but provided at one side with a radiallyoutward extending integral extension forming an enlargement of itsinterior extending throughout the length of the barrel.

3. A velocipede crank-hanger comprising a metal barrel of generallycylindric form but provided at one side with a radially outwardextending integral extension forming an enlargement of its interiorextending throughout the length of the barrel, a slot extendinglongitudinally inward from each end of said extension and means fordrawing the sides of the latter together to contract the ends of thehanger.

4. A velocipede crank-ban ger comprising a metal barrel of generallycylindric form but provided at one side with a radially outwardextending integral extension extending throughout the length of thebarrel, a slot extending longitudinally inward from each end of saidextension, means for drawing the sides of the latter together tocontract the ends of the hanger, and end-closing plates fitted andsecured to each end of said extension.

5. A velocipede crank-hanger comprising a sheetmetal barrel havingintegral nipplelugs struck up from the body thereof, nipples seated insaid nipple lugs, each provided with an outturned flange fitted andsecured against the interior of the hanger-barrel, said barrel being ofgenerally cylindric form but provided at its lower side with a radiallyoutward extending integral extension or enlargement extending throughoutthe full length of the barrel, an electrically-welded seam trav ersingthe lower side of the hanger, longitudinally, a slot extendinglongitudinally inward from each end of said enlargement, the hangerbeing circumferentially continuous except for said slots, aclamping-bolt inserted through the slotted portion of each end of saidenlargement and end-closin g plates fitted and secured to each endthereof, as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix mysignature, in presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 13th day ofJuly, A. D. 1899.

GEORGE L. THOMPSON.

VV-itnesses ALBERT H. GRAVES, M. E. MARSH.

